Should you tell your child the truth about Father Christmas?

ALMOST HALF (47%) of parents across the UK have admitted they would choose to never tell their child the truth about Father Christmas given the choice.

According to a new poll from leading parenting resource FamiliesOnline, most parents wouldn't ruin the Santa myth for their children, while more than a third of parents (38%) said they would be telling their child the truth before they start senior school.

Faye Mingo, Director of Product and Marketing at FamiliesOnline said: “Most parents dread the day that their children ask the big question ‘Is he real mummy?’ But with friends spreading gossip in the school playground and the popularity of social media and the Internet, it’s becoming easier for children to search for information online and inevitably discover the truth for themselves.”

As parents try to keep the magic alive for as long as possible, a further 11% of UK parents said they would feel the need to reveal the truth by the time their child reaches seven years of age. Also, 3% of parents would avoid the scenario all together and tell them the truth from a much younger age, under four years.

The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends, and it is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and travelled the countryside helping the poor and sick.